Knock-down furniture



M. DUCHIN KNOCK-DOWN FURNITURE July 16, 1957 {2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20. 1954 INVENTOR Maurice Due/din M. DUCHIN KNOCK-DOWN FURNITURE July 16, 1957 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1954 mvEuTo Maurice. Duc/un I Unite States Patent 2,799,401 KNOCK-DOWN FURNITURE Maurice Duchin, New York, N. Y. Application December 20, 1954, Serial No. 476,368 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-148) This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in knock-down furniture, particularly tables, stands, seats, benches, and the like, and the principal object of the invention is to provide articles of furniture of this nature which in their knocked-down form are substantially flat and compact for ease of storage or shipment, but which can be quickly and easily assembled without the use of any tools into a very stable and rigid structure.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the provision of an article of furniture consisting of a top, a pair of leg members and a shelf member extending between the leg members in a downwardly spaced relation from the top, some of the important features of the invention involving the provision of novel means for separably connecting the leg members to the top and separably connecting the shelf member to the leg members, whereby to urge the connecting means between the leg members and the top in locking engagement.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, ease of operation and in its adaptability to expeditious manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification-proceeds, the invention resides in the arrangement of parts and details of construction substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the top;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the leg members;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the shelf member; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the connecting means between the shelf member and one of the leg members.

With reference now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference numeral 10 designates an article of furniture such as a table, stand, seat, bench, or the like, the same consisting broadly of a top 11, a pair of leg members 12 and a shelf member 13.

The top 11 may be substantially rectangular in shape and may be either closed or in the form of a perimetric frame of angle bars, adapted to receive therein a filler of wood, glass, ceramic tile, etc. A plurality of transversely extending rods 14 of the top 11 and a pair of transversely spaced rails 15, in turn, are secured to the underside of these rods, as shown. The end portions of the rails 15 are turned downwardly and inwardly to provide pairs of opposing hooks 16.

Each of the leg members 12 is of an inverted, substantially U-shaped configuration and is provided on intermediate portions thereof with a cross bar 17. The leg members afford transverse upper end portions 18 which are provided at the underside.

are separably engageable with the aforementioned hooks 16 and it is to be noted that when the leg members are thus connected to the top 11, the cross bars 17 are disposed at the outside of the leg members, as is best shown in Figure 1.

The shelf member 13 may be in the form of an open framework comprising a pair of transverse end portions or members 19 having a plurality of spaced, parallel rods 20 secured to the top thereof, while a pair of transversely spaced rods or rails 21 are secured to the underside of the members 19. The rods or rails 21 project beyond the ends of the shelf member and are turned downwardly and inwardly to provide pairs of opposing hook-shaped detents 22 which are separably engageable with the aforementioned cross bars 17 of the leg members 12, as will be presently explained.

When the invention is to be assembled, the detents 22 of the shelf member 13 are engaged with the cross bars 17 of the leg members 12. The length of the detents 22 is such that when this engagement is effected, the end members or portions 19 of the shelf member are closely adjacent the leg members and coact with the cross bars 17 in supporting the leg members and the shelf member in a standing position even before the top 11 is installed in place. In this position the leg members are upwardly convergent and the arrangement is such that the distance between the transverse upper portions 18 of the leg members is somewhat greater than the distance between the opposing pairs of hooks 16 of the top 11. The top is installed in place by first drawing the upper end portions of the leg members toward each other against the inherent resiliency of the material from which the leg members are formed, and subsequently permitting the upper end portions of the leg members to spread apart while the portions 18 thereof are seated in the hooks 16. When the upper portions of the leg members are drawn together as aforesaid, the end portions 19 of the shelf member 13 abut the inside of the leg members 12 at points spaced above the cross bars 17 and thus provide fulcrum means for resiliently urging the upper portions of the leg members apart and into locking engagement with the hooks 16.

The device is disassembled by simply reversing the assembling procedure above described, and it is to be noted that when in a knocked-down form, the top, the leg members and the shelf member are substantially flat and well adapted for easy storage or shipment. It will be also observed that the various components of the invention can be readily manufactured from metal bars or rods, suitably secured together by welding, 'or the like.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

In an article of knock-down furniture, the combination of a top, a pair of transversely spaced rails secured to the underside of said top, pairs of opposing inturned hooks provided at the ends of said rails, a pair of inverted substantially U-shaped resilient leg members affording transverse upper end portions in separable engagement with said respective pairs of hooks, cross bars secured to intermediate portions of said leg members at the outside of the latter, a shelf member extending between the leg members and including transverse end portions abutting the inside of the leg members at points above said cross bars and providing fulcrum means for the leg members, and inturned hook-shaped detents provided at References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,596,296 Oberdorfer Aug. 17, 1926 Mitchell Jan. 4, 1927 Bitney June 28, 1938 Bales Sept. 23, 1941 Bitney Mar. 3, 1942 Chappory Apr. 6, 1943 Stine et a1 Dec. 21, 1948 Beach June 10, 1952 

